The technology, known as Gem-Where, provided by Indiana RFID company Northern Apex, utilizes EPCGen 2 passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags applied to jewelry, a wand RFID reader cabled to a laptop, and middleware that interfaces with a store's jewelry-management software.
Sissy's Log Cabin was among the first companies to use the Gem-Where solution, beginning in November 2007, according to Kim Rieve, the jewelry retailer's chief financial officer. The retailer sells engagement rings, watches, earrings, necklaces and other fine jewelry, and uses Jewelry Computer System software at the point of sale to track which items are sold. To manage the high-value goods in showcases, staff members spent several hours on a daily basis inventorying its merchandise. This manual method of painstaking inventory counting is a common practice at most jewelry stores, since the items are small, and are often moved daily from the storefront to the back room, in order to protect them from theft after business hours.
